At the dawn of World War Two, German-born nurse Emma Taylor sits by the bedside of a Jewish heiress in London as she reminisces over her dear friend, Oscar Wilde.
As the story of Wilde unravels, so does Emma’s past. What really happened to her husband?
She’s taken back to her days in Singapore on the eve of World War One. To her disappointing marriage to a British export agent, her struggle to fit into colonial life and the need to hide her true identity.
Emma is caught up in history, the highs, the lows, the adventures.
A deadly mutiny, terrifying rice riots and a confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan bring home, for all migrants, the fragility of belonging.
Emma’s Tapestry is an imaginative retelling of the remarkable life of the author’s great-grandmother.
Interesting & Informative!
A wonderful tale of a life well-lived.
As World War Two is imminent, nurse Emma Taylor is tending to her patient, a Jewish heiress who reminisces about her friendship with Oscar Wilde and this sets Emma to recalling her life with her husband, Ernest. We are privy to her memories of life including time spent in the colonies, the good and the bad.
This is my first foray into reading this author and I really enjoyed this story; it is an excellent imagining of a life well lived, of a woman who did her best and it is a book which, once begun, has to be completed. A glimpse into how women were treated and expected to behave in times gone by. I enjoyed reading about Emma’s life in Singapore but what really had me enthralled was her time in Japan as I have family living there, and it is so interesting to discover the differences between then and now. This is a very interesting novel and one which I relished reading. Four stars and my recommendation.
My thanks to Black Coffee Book Tours both for my copy of this novel and my spot on this tour; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.
Tags: historical literary fiction
- Format: ebook, paperback, hardcover, audiobook
- Size: 334 pages
- Publisher: Next Chapter
- Publication Date: 29 March 2021
- Book Links:
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- https://www.amazon.co.uk
Author Details
Isobel Blackthorn is a prolific novelist of unique and engaging fiction. She writes across a range of genres, including gripping mysteries and dark psychological thrillers.
The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite book awards. A Prison in the Sun was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the 2021 International Book Awards and the 2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards. Her short story ‘Nothing to Declare’ was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. Her dark thriller A Legacy of Old Gran Parks won a Raven Award in 2019. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018.
Isobel holds a PhD in Western Esotericism from the University of Western Sydney for her ground-breaking study of the texts of Theosophist Alice A. Bailey. Her engagement with Alice Bailey’s life and works has culminated in the biographical novel The Unlikely Occultist and the full biography Alice A. Bailey: Life and Legacy.
Isobel carries a lifelong passion for the Canary Islands, Spain, her former home. Five of her novels are set on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. These standalone mystery novels are setting rich and fall into the broad genre of travel fiction.
Isobel has led a rich and interesting life and her stories are as diverse as her experiences, the highs and lows, and the dramas. A life-long campaigner for social justice, Isobel has written, protested and leant her weight to a range of issues including asylum seekers and family violence. A Londoner originally, Isobel currently lives in rural Victoria, Australia.
- Website: http://www.isobelblackthorn.com
- Twitter: @IBlackthorn
- Facebook: @Isabel Blackthorn, Author
Grace J Reviewerlady 
Thank you so much for your lovely review!
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